


sweet as strawberries

by Khismer



Series: rika week 2k17 [2]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, gay baking, rika week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-12-27 12:33:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12081144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khismer/pseuds/Khismer
Summary: What do you do when it's your girlfriend's birthday and you want to impress her? Bake her the best cake she'll ever find, of course.





	sweet as strawberries

“It's not that I don’t like my birthday,” Sun-hwa tells her, snuggled close to watch the latest in a string of fun-but-terrible direct-to-video movies she _really_ shouldn't own so many of. “I just don’t… _do_ anything for it.”

It’s with no small measure of trepidation that Rika had even brought up the topic -- _she_ certainly doesn’t want to talk about her own complicated relationship with her birthday, and if Sun-hwa feels the same, she has no desire to dredge up old wounds. And, of course, it’s not that she’d had her heart set on some grand celebration -- even before she’d wondered why her girlfriend’s birthday merited less fanfare on the calendar than the reminder to visit the farmer’s market, she’d known that Sun-hwa's tastes skewed to smaller, casual affairs.

But, to her relief, Sun-hwa only laughed at the question. “Not for any big reason, I don't think, and I definitely remember birthdays filled with confetti, streamers, balloons -- the works. Just seemed… mean, more and more as I grew up, to make my mom have to ask for time off to celebrate when it meant spending more money, anyway… and then when I moved away for school I didn't have the time or money or… company to make it seem worth making noise for.”

She tightened her arms around Rika, then, and hummed something that sounded content.  “I'm glad you're here with me. That’s already more than enough for me.” Sun-hwa punctuated this statement with a soft kiss on the top of Rika’s head, and Rika curled herself tighter into Sun-hwa's embrace. “I want whatever makes you happy. I mean it, babe, if _you_ wanna do something, just pick something you'd like to do, and I'll love it because you do. Kay?” And with a decisive nod and a kiss, the matter was settled.

Only it wasn't, of course.

Rika has been given the go-ahead to do _anything_ with the promise her girlfriend will adore it, and she has an idea in mind -- make Sun-hwa the best goddamn birthday cake she's ever had.

It's not as simple as it sounds **.** Sun-hwa has been surrounded by cakes and pastries at work for so long that she's grows sick of most, just by the sheer association to creepy customers. For Rika to make something her girlfriend would truly enjoy, she has to set it apart from what Sun-hwa is used to.

But Rika knows the following: she is absolutely, without a doubt going to make Sun-hwa that cake.

When it's for love, a competitive streak can be forgiven, right?

Preparing is tricky. It's best if it's a surprise -- and while she's sure that if she got everything beforehand, stuck it in a box, and said, “It’s a surprise for your birthday, don't look,” Sun-hwa would shrug and agree, but that's not enough. So, Rika works a little more under the radar.

Butter and eggs are easy, no need to make excuses for those, and there's plenty of sugar already. She can make do with the pots and pans already here, both what Sun-hwa once had alone and what they’ve gotten after moving in together. Sun-hwa, miraculously, had a flour sifter already -- though she confessed to barely using it. “Too much trouble for too little difference,” she'd said.

So, most things are taken care of. But Rika still has to dash out the door after Sun-hwa leaves for work, for soft-enough cake flour and for fresh strawberries -- the most important part.

As for the non-cake aspects of her preparation -- okay, yes, she _did_ actually shove decorations in a box and hid them, but that’s _different_. Thanks to the miracle of one-day shipping, she’s reasonably sure that Sun-hwa didn’t stumble across any of it, anyway.

She goes as quick as she can, trying to make the most of the time she's got. She reaches for a knife the moment she gets back to the apartment, prepping the strawberries to be puréed, and when they're simmering to a reduction on the stove, she's starting on the rest of the cake.

From there, it’s just a matter of making sure no time is wasted.

She moves through the steps so quickly that she almost ruins it by sneezing at a cloud of flour and powdered sugar, but Rika powers through it.

Once the cake is in the oven, she moves on to the frosting, and when _that's_ done, she's scrambling up and down ladders to make sure each decoration is perfect and neat, as minimalistic as it may be -- though that's probably a better look, anyway. Thank god she’s alone, too; she can only imagine how many jokes about her height she’d be hearing otherwise.

Then there's frosting to do, and careful placing of strawberries, and there it is. The best goddamn strawberry cake she has ever laid eyes on, certain to impress her girlfriend.

Excellent timing, too. She's able to get candles lit and everything squared away -- well, almost everything. She'll just… let those dishes soak for a while, she's worked hard enough already -- before Sun-hwa comes back.

Sun-hwa is heralded by the heavy creaking of the front door and -- “Heyyyy… babe, holy shit.”

Rika preens at the open admiration in Sun-hwa's face, and she waits for her judgment. Sun-hwa's bag slides from her shoulder, dropped by the wall, as she takes in the room with slow steps.

Finally, she says, “You make streamers look fancy, I don't know how you do it. Balloons, too? Tasteful.” And then she grins and wraps an arm around Rika’s waist. “Babe, this is beautiful. I can't believe you did this for me. _Thank_ you.” Rika’s face tints pink as she stretches up to meet Sun-hwa in a kiss.

Of course, she's not done until Sun-hwa has actually tried the cake -- which ends with Sun-hwa pressing her palms flat on the table, eyes closed as if in bliss.

“Oh, my god,” she says softly, mumbled a little through the bite of cake. She swallows and opens her eyes. “Oh my _god_ _._ ”

“Good, then?”

“You _know_ it is.”

Rika laughs.

“Have you known this recipe the whole time, or did you look it up, or what, because -- I don't wanna tell anyone about this cake, I wanna keep it to myself so it can be all mine, holy shit.”

“Oh, and none for me?” Rika teases.

Sun-hwa opens her mouth as if to correct herself, and then her lips quirk up. “Mmm, no. It's for _my_ birthday, right? So technically…” She laughs as Rika feigns outrage, complete with a hand splayed over her chest, even though she's near giggles.

“Babe, you're so good to me. Everything looks great, and this was _so_ good. And it's such a versatile gift, too.”

“Is it? How so?”

Rika shivers pleasantly at the wicked edge Sun-hwa's smile takes on.

“Of course! See, we can have more fun with this--” And she reaches down and swipes a little puff of whipped cream off the cake, raising it to Rika’s lips and slowly, gently, smearing it on her mouth. “--later.”

And with the way Sun-hwa is grinning, Rika's looking forward to it. **  
**

**Author's Note:**

> this is..... a day late........... but i'm so busy and tired, i'm just glad i finished this  
> i rly like fics centered on food, i guess  
> also this is the first time i'm directly writing abt my oc sun-hwa even tho i've cherished her for a year


End file.
